Hydrofoils



May 7, 1968 A. A. BERINGER HYDROF'OILS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 20, 1966 INVENTOR ANTON ABERINGER BYimM. A owu 9 ATTORNEYS May 7, 1968 A. A. BERINGER HYDROFOILS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 20, 1966 INVENTOR ANTON A. BERINGER BY Mlflnm i 7: )Au

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,381,920 HYDROFOILS Anton A. Beringer, W-190 S. 7238 Lochcrest Blvd., Muskego, Wis. 53150 Filed July 20, 1966, Ser. No. 566,599 Claims. (Cl. 244-105) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hydrofoil having downwardly open recesses between a central fin and spaced outer fins. The recesses have a tapering configuration with a maximum height at the front of the hydrofoil and a minimum height at the rear, all for the purpose of providing lift.

My invention relates to improvements in hydrofoils, and more particurally to hydrofoils for use on aircraft or the like.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a means of assistance in the landing and takeoff area of the craft.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that terminates in a downwardly facing fiat skid plane.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device in which two units of identical design may be applied to the lower extremities of the hull or body of the crafts as parts of its structure.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device that may be applied to any conventional amphibious aircraft.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hydrofoil which functions to provide lift of a craft both in water and in air.

By applying the device hereinafter described, illustrated and claimed herein under both sides of the body, of fuselage lift is provided for takeoff as the craft is thrust forward by its motor, which lift is created by water entering the foils in a circular motion, thus gradually raising the hull for flight takeof.

When landing the craft with the hydrofoil in an angular position, with the nose extending upward, it will contact the surface of the water at the rearward end of the curvature, which end is flat and relatively little resisting pressure when contacting the water surface. The craft will slow down when the water enters the open front end of the hydrofoil, causing a braking action.

The device is simple in construction, easy to manufacture and highly efficient for the purpose for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of the hydrofoil;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the hydrofoil shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the hydrofoil;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the hydrofoil taken at the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the hydrofoil taken at the line 55 in FIGURE 3; 4

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 6-6 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 77 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a front view of a conventional plane in phantom with the device constituting my invention attached thereto; and

FIGURE 9 is a side view of the conventional plane in phantom, with the device constituting my invention attached thereto.

Patented May 7, 1968 ice By referring to FIGURES 1 to 3 inclusive, I show the body 10 of the device having a centrally disposed fin 11 shown radial at its sides 12 and having a flat lower surface 13 and two outer fines 14 and 14' (see FIGURE 4). As is seen in the drawings, the body 1 has an external shape which is generally rectangular in outline as viewed from the top or bottom and which is generally triangular in outline as viewed from the side. The major height is at the front end of the front end of the body.

The fins 14 and 14 have outer radial grooves 15, which taper inward through a substantial part of the entire length of the complete hydrofoil, which has the openings 16 large at the forward end 17 tapered to a flat surface 18 at its rearward end 19. This end '19- may be square as shown, or radially disposed. Grooves 15 lighten the weight of the hydrofoil and may assist in the lifting action of the foil.

The outer fins 14 and 14 are equal at their lower surfaces 20 and in alignment with the lower surface 13 of the center fin 11, leaving two elongated slots 21.

By referring to FIGURE 1, it will be noted that the sur. face 13 of the center fin 11 tapers to a point 22, and the lower surfaces 20 of the outer fins 14 and 14' flare outwardly at 23, forming there-between a pair of recessed pockets 24 and 24' adjacent the flat surface 18. The center fin 11 and outer fins 14 and '14 thus have openings therebetween which are relatively narrow and of maximum depth at the front of the hydrofoil. The size and shape of these openings change gradually and progressively towards the rear of the hydrofoil as is shown by the crosssectional views of FIGURES 4-7, inclusive, so that the height is progressively reduced from the front to the rear and the width of the recesses is gradually increased from the front to the rear. These recesses merge into the shallow pockets 24, as is indicated in the drawings.

By referring to FIGURES 8 and 9, I show the units generally indicated by the character 25, attached in any convenient and efiicient manner to the lower surface of the plane 26 shown in phantom, which plane may be of any design and actuated in an etficient manner.

The top of the unit may be given a curvature as shown for other curvatures designed to fit and .mesh the configuration of the craft to which the hydrofoils are applied. The hydrofoils are made of a buoyant material and should have a buoyancy such that when taken with the buoyancy of the craft to which the hydrofoils are attached, the craft will float in the water.

A craft equipped with hydrofoils of the type described and illustrated herein gains lift as it traverses the water from the motion of the water passing through the downwardly open ducts of the hydrofoil relative to the hydrofoil. Due to the inclusion of these ducts and the particular shape thereof, water in these ducts will undergo a more or less spiralling motion as the hydrofoil traverses any given unit mass of water and passes thereover. This creates lift which will assist an aircraft during takeoff. When the downwardly open channels or ducts are free from water, air passing through the ducts or channels will also create lift for the craft. It should he noted that just prior to the time that the hydrofoil is completely free of water, the hat sk-id plane at the rear of the hydrofoil may still make contact with the water in a more or less planning action.

The hydrofoils are also useful when landing an aircraft in that as the craft comes in for a landing on a body of water, with a slightly nose-up attitude, the fiat skid planes 18 will first contact the water and then, as the craft settles into the water, more and more water will pass through the downwardly open ducts or channels which may initially provide a degree of lift, but as the craft slows down, more and more water will enter the channels until the channels or ducts actually create a braking action for the aircraft.-

Whereas I have shown an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description thereof should be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will fall within the scope and spirit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hydrofoil defined by an elongate-d body of varying cross-section to provide lift of the body upon passage of the body through a fluid, said body having hollowed inner portions opening outwardly through a front end of said body and through slots in the bottom of said body for a substantial portion of the length of said body from the front to a point spaced from the rear of said body, said body having a central fin and outer fins on opposite sides of said central fin and defining therebetween said hollowed portions, said slots having a shape flaring from a narrow width at the front portions of said body to wider widths near said point, said body having a bottom surface defining a skid plane from said point to the rear of said body, said hollowed inner portions defining open spaces of diminishing cross-sections from the front of said body to said point to provide lift as said body passes through a fluid.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said body is made from a material which is buoyant in water.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said body has a cross-sectional height which tapers from maximum near the front of said body to a minimum near the rear of said body.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said body has concave recesses along the sides thereof.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said recesses are relatively shallow in depth at the front portions of the sides of said body and the depth of said recesses progressively increases toward the rear of the sides of said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,792 11/1935 Maynard et a1. 114-66.5 2,844,639 7/ 195 8 Stroukoff 114-665 XR 3,223,066 12/ 1965 Irving.

FOREIGN PATENTS 471,741 9/1937 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

P. E. SAUBERER, Assistant Examiner. 

